good morning, america. this morning, breaking news. a frantic search launched overnight. a 10-year-old girl last seen leaving home for school. police say, she never made it. highway chaos. bad weather and bad driving are blamed for crash after crash on a stretch of road in florida. 12 wrecks involving 47 vehicles and more than 50 people injured. and that bad weather is just the start of what may be headed your way. they call her the black widow. a 77-year-old woman accused of trying to kill her third husband. she's already done time for the death of husband number one. and husband number two died under mysterious circumstances. and man's best friend. the tale of a husky who just couldn't bear to stay another moment away from his

hospitalized owner. the dog's name is zander. he was distraught, apparently, when his owner went to the hospital. wait until you hear what he did in order to find his owner. this morning, zander is here with us on "gma." he'll be live with his owners on the set. we're going to have an exclusive one-on-one interview. >> such a great story. the owner says zander is like a son to him. so, we're going to meet them later on. also, we have breaking news from the vatican, where the pope's butler has just been convicted of leaking confidential documents. it's one of the most damaging scandals to hit the pope. we'll have a live report coming up from rome. >> the butler says he leaked those documents to help the pope. we'll tell you what his sentence is. and the earthquake in the presidential race. the new jobs numbers showing unemployment at its lowest level in years. now, allegations that the administration is cooking the books. do those charges have any merit? we'll take a closer look at that. >> pretty shocking charges

there. and a preview of the debate everyone really wants to see. the comedian versus the cable news anchor. jon stewart and bill o'reilly faceoff in rumble 2012. we'll handicap the showdown and look at how the opponents are getting ready. is stewart really prepping with colbert and a chicken? nothing would surprise me when it comes to jon stewart. >> sounds about right. we're going to start with an amber alert in colorado. the fbi has joined the search for 10-year-old jessica ridgeway, last seen leaving for school yesterday morning. she never arrived. abc's clayton sandell is in colorado this morning and on this breaking story. clayton? >> reporter: dan, good morning to you. right now, at least 50 police officers, including the fbi, are continuing their search, overnight, using bloodhounds in temperatures that were near-freezing. still, there has been no sign of little jessica ridgway. a desperate search under way for a 10-year-old last seen nearly 24 hours a ago.

the last time anyone saw jessica ridgeway was 8:30 friday morning. she left home to walk three blocks from her westminster, colorado, home to meet friends for a walk to school, a route she did every day. but she never got there. when jessica didn't show up for class, the school called her home. but jessica's mother, who works the overnight shift at a tech company, was asleep. she didn't get the message, which delayed her calling police for nearly eight hours. >> when we start with a delay as substantial as this, the distance she could have wandered even on her own, it just gets huge. >> reporter: police say jessica's weather, who lives out of state, is in a custody battle with jessica's mother. they do not believe jessica is with him. but are not ruling anyone out. >> we don't have a person of interest. and we're going to look at every angle. we're going to look at every angle multiple times. >> reporter: police are searching vast areas of terrain, including fields and lakes. bad weather kept search helicopters grounded. but about 150 volunteers turned out to help.

>> nothing like this has really ever happened. like, it's always surprising when something happens here. >> reporter: as the sun comes up here, police say they hope to get even more people on the search for jessica. they also hope for a break in the weather so they can get helicopters up to search from the sky. dan? bianna? >> clayton, thank you. we're going to turn, now, to the economy and the race for the white house. the nation's unemployment rate dropped to 7.8% in september, bringing it below 8% for the first time in more than 3 1/2 years. as for jobs, 114,000 were created last month. while the numbers from july and august were revised higher by 86,000. so, with just 31 days to go before the election, what impact will this have on the race? it's "your voice, your vote." and our david kerley is in orlando, florida, with the latest. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. mitt romney is here in florida, this battleground state. and he comes to florida without

one of his most potent weapons because that jobs report erased the claim that the unemployment rate has been above 8% for nearly four years. that change completely altered the political landscape and narrative of the last week. in virginia, there was no public high-fiving. but the jobs numbers were cheered by supporters of the president. >> the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since i took office. >> reporter: also in virginia, mitt romney's post-debate momentum ran smack right into those breakthrough numbers. >> more and more people have just stopped looking for work. >> reporter: so, romney tried to spin the unemployment rate. >> the truth is, if the same share of people were participating in the workforce today, as on the day the president got elected, the unemployment rate would be around 11%. >> reporter: the president, who spoke before romney, saw that charge coming. >> today's news, certainly is not an excuse to try to talk down the economy, to score a few political points.

it's a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now. >> reporter: but there was more. when the former ceo of general electric took to twitter and then the air waves, suggesting the obama campaign cooked the numbers. >> i don't know what the right number is. but i'll tell you, these numbers don't smell right when you think about where the economy is right now. >> reporter: many experts laughed off the charge. but the labor secretary, whose department compiles the monthly report, was not laughing. >> i'm insulted when i hear that. it's really ludicrous to hear that kind of statement. >> reporter: now, we know that here in florida, along with mitt romney, is rob portman, who plays president obama in debate preparation. they'll be doing a bit of that today before an event later tonight. the president has nothing on his schedule. we don't know what he's doing. no guidance on whether he's doing to prepare for the next debate. as for the last debate, dan and bianna, some democrats are

saying what debate? after the jobs report. and with more of on the political impact of these numbers, we're joined by john avlon, senior columnist with "newsweek" and "the daily beast." these allegations that the numbers are somehow cooked are shocking and dangerous, especially from somebody as prominent as jack welch. what does it say about the level of partisanship in the country? >> it says that the overhype of partisanship starts to rot people's brains. the theory is just -- we need a good name for this. i nominate job nutters. but this really is ridiculous. this is -- first things first, this is good news for the country. and, yes, it benefits the president because it adds to argument. it takes away the argument that unemployment rate's been over 8%. it's a positive sign for the country. and frankly, it gives the president a boost in the wake of a terrible debate performance. but bottom line, it's a sign that the trend is moving away from the debt sweep we've dealt with. >> let me pick up on that.

we heard david kerley say some democrats are saying what debate? how much of a boost does it really give the president, given the lackluster nature of his performance the other night? >> it doesn't give the president a do-over. he still had a lousily first debate. that hurts. it hurts. it's not determinative. ultimately, the economy's issue number one. this is a boost. it helps change the topic. but it doesn't erase that first debate. the president has to have a great performance in the second. and so does joe biden against paul ryan this coming week in kentucky. >> it's all about the undecided voters. we have one more jobs report after this one. let's assume that the economy remains sort of tepid and growing slowly. how much does a small drop in the unemployment rate really affect undecided voters? >> it creates a psychological barrier, breaking below 8%. and the issue is less the actual number than the trend. and the fact is that we're moving in the right direction. not as fast as some folks would like. but it gives reason for hope. so, again, this is a statistical talisman that tells people we're

moving in the right direction. >> talk about the vice presidential debate coming up this thursday. is that likely to have any impact on the trajectory of this race? >> it could have one. if paul ryan wins this debate, that gives the romney camp a strong argument. mitt romney trying to move towards the center, like successful candidates ultimately do. there's going to be a lot of fireworks. you have a policy wonk in paul ryan. you have joe biden who is everyone's uncle, for better or worse. >> who knows what he'll say? >> who knows what he'll say? people should be watching. this is part of the great debate we're having in this country. every little bit matters. 30 days away. >> john, our thanks to you. abc news will have live coverage of the vice presidential debate on thursday at 9:00 p.m. with diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos. a lot of other news breaking overnight. for that, as always, we go to mr. ron claiborne. good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, dan and bianna. breaking news from right here in new york city. five terror suspects extradited from britain are now on new york soil.

the men arrived in new york city early this morning. two will be in court later today in connecticut. the best known of them is abu hamza al masri. he is charged for trying to set up a terrorist training camp in oregon and helping to abduct hostages, including two americans, in yemen, in 1998. and we have breaking news out of the vatican, that scandal that rocked the vatican. pope benedict's butler convicted this morning of stealing the pope's private documents and leaking them to a journalist. abc's lama hasan joins us, now, with all of the details from london. good morning, lama. >> reporter: good morning to you, ron. today, the three judges presiding over this case took just an hour and ten minutes in deliberations. and the verdict, guilty of theft. now, the pope's butler, paolo gabriele, has been sentenced to one year and six months in an italian prison. that's less than what was expected, which was a sentence of four years. when the sentence was read, gabriele reportedly showed no emotion. the pope's butler had been arrested in may, accused of stealing the pope's secret

documents and leaking them to the press, a damning scandal that rocked the vatican. and during the trial, gabriele denied the charge of aggravated theft. but had confessed to stealing the documents and, quote, betraying the trust of the holy father. but he said he did it to show what he called the evil and corruption of the church. he also believed that the pope was being manipulated. now, gabriele, a 46-year-old father of three, who lived at the vatican, is widely expected to be pardoned by his boss, pope benedict xvi. ron? >> thank you, lama. lama hasan reporting from london. and the fbi is now saying the border patrol agent that was killed near the mexico border was likely the victim of friendly-fire. investigators have found that 30-year-old nicholas ivie's death and the injury to another agent were probably the result of an accidental shooting involving only the agents. a third agent responded to the alarm but was not injured. and american airlines says, all of its boeing 757s will be back in service today. american took all 48 of the jets out of service to fix a problem causing seats to come loose.

some of the seats in mid-flight. the airline was forced to cancel dozens of flights to change a bolt that holds down the seats in that aircraft. and conflicting reports out of china this morning about a possible strike at the factory that makes the new iphone. the manufacturer foxconn is denying that its workers have walked out. saying production at the iphone plant has not been interrupted. this follows a report by a labor watch group claiming as many as 4,000 workers are striking because of increased quality control demands. and a massive car pileup on a florida highway has left dozens of people injured. there were 12 crashes, in all, involving a total 47 vehicles. on i-75 in sarasota. 54 people were injured, 2 critically. the accident shut down a stretch of highway for six hours while authorities cleared the scene. police blamed heavy rain and driver error. and the first wild card game in baseball history, it turned

ugly last night. there was a nearly 20-minute delay after fans in atlanta littered the field with bottles, beer cans and other debris after a bad call. i would say allegedly bad call, but it was pretty obvious it was a bad call by an umpire that went against the hometown. the braves went on to lose to the cardinals. braves out, cardinals advance. and finally, take a look at this. you know that michael phelps can swim. but apparently can play a little golf, too. the most decorated athlete in olympic history upstaging some of the best golfers in the world at a pro/am tournament. check this out at st. andrews. >> did it go in? >> 153-foot putt. in the hole. how about that? took about 17 seconds for the ball to go in the hole. that's roughly the time it takes for phelps to swim about 50 meters, which is roughly the same distance as the putt he made. he's a 16 handicap golfer. a little better than me. and i never made a putt close to that. >> a little jealous. >> a little? a little? >> luck.

let's just call it luck. >> luck. >> all right. ron claiborne, thank you. now, to a really bizarre story. the woman who earned the nickname black widow is now facing fresh charges. she will be in court next week, charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to poison her husband. this, from a woman who had two previous marriages end in death and who actually did time for killing one of those husbands. abc's john schriffen is here with more on this. >> reporter: good morning. bizarre doesn't begin to describe this story. according to reports out of canada, neighbors say her latest husband new about her questionable past and decided to marry her anyway. but in court on friday, prosecutors decided to use her criminal history against her, trying to convince the judge not to grant bail and keep her behind bars. hard to believe this 77-year-old woman, shielding her face from cameras, is a convicted killer who canadian authorities say tried to strike again. melissa weeks, also known as the internet black widow, honeymooned with her latest husband in nova scotia when he became ill. at the hospital, doctors found a

sedative drug in his body and became suspicious. >> i think it had more to do with the way mrs. weeks was dealing with the medical emergency of her husband or not really dealing with the medical emergency of her husband more than anything. >> reporter: after large amounts of prescription drugs were reportedly found in her home and vehicle, weeks was arrested and charged with murder for allegedly trying to poison her husband. despite week's request to be released, prosecutors say it is likely she will remain in custody. >> in this case, that's very significant, given her fraud history. and the various identities that she's had. >> reporter: this is not the first time people have heard of the black widow. >> we heard about her when she was in florida. we read up some on that at that time. but it was just a -- it's just unbelievable. >> reporter: but ex-boyfriend, alex, wasn't surprised when he heard weeks was in court because he claims she tried to poison him back when the two met in 2005.

>> i had to go to sleep. if i had to get up to go to the bathroom or something, that's when i would get up. and i'd fall over. >> reporter: weeks was not convicted for allegedly poisoning strategeos. but was arrested for wiping out about $20,000 from his bank account. back in 1991, she was convicted of killing her then-husband gordon stewart, after drugging and running him over with her car, not once, but twice. she was sentenced to six years in prison. but only served two. now, weeks could face up to 14 years in prison for administering a noxious substance. and for attempted murder, life in prison. her bail hearing has been rescheduled for tuesday. but something interesting. the judicial system in canada is a little different from here in the states. she has a choice of choosing a judge or a jury to hear her case now. interesting which one she'll decide could be on tuesday. >> we'll keep an eye on it. john, thank you. time, now, for the forecast. ginger zee, our meteorologist in the house. hey, ginger.

>> good morning to you guys. good morning, everyone. i want to start with a look at denver because they had up to an inch and a half of snow. there's more snow for wyoming and colorado on the way. that's what it looked like yesterday morning. officially, less than a half-inch. but still, about two weeks before their first average measurable snowfall usually falls. a little early. and some of the fall colors getting a sprinkle there. we'll look at how much snow is going to fall today. that four-inch to eight-inch rain stretches into northeastern colorado. there is more snow. but in a lot of the rural areas. so, it's not going to hit any major cities. certainly, not denver. they will be a little warmer today. but, boy, is it going to be cool this morning. temperatures at freezing at north platte. wichita is 46. oklahoma city this morning, 44. this is into tomorrow, too. and all this is going to spread. look how cold it's going to be for your sunday morning. if you're making plans for sunday morning, really chilly, all the way to louisville, which is 39. chicago tomorrow morning, 34. you've got that big chicago marathon, which will have a full forecast coming up in the next half hour. i also need you to know that it's not just to the east this

cold air goes, bringing boston at 76 today, down to 55 for tomorrow. but look at houston. today, in the mid-80s. tomorrow, less than 70 degrees. so, this cold goes all the way through most of the nation. and you're really going to feel a little touch of late fall, even early winter. and there's been that flooding concern. you saw the story in ron's newscast about all the issues and roadways in florida. today, you're going to have isolated thunderstorms. some locally heavy rain and some flooding possible in the northwest. they're still very dry. red flag warnings popping up here and there. fire danger is up.

>> after a really warm summer, chicago's starting to feel some of that chill. and you can see it in the pictures that are coming in. that fog rising up there at the chicago botanic gardens. beautiful place to visit. and we'll look at the florida storm clouds. they'll see more of that today. it's been a very stormy summer in florida. thank you for the photos. if you want to send me the snow photos, because that's what i want to see, what we all want to see, send them to me at twitter. i want to see the snow pictures. >> all right. >> i don't want the snow temperature. >> it's the drop-off that's incredible. it really is. thanks, ginger. if the presidential debate this week was a little too wonky for you, you might want to check out the sold-out pay-per-view faceoff of jon stewart of "the

daily show" and bill o'reilly of fox news. >> the trash-talking has begun with someone in stewart's camp promising he will, quote, eat bill o'reilly's liver. here's abc's reena ninan. >> it's on. >> ready to rumble. >> reporter: on saturday night, fox news host bill o'reilly will face off in a live, pay-per-view mock debate, with jon stewart. >> do you see me as mitt romney? is that how you're going to frame this now? >> i see you as an abominable snowman. o'reilly angry. >> reporter: and so much for talking down expectations. >> who's going to win? >> jon stewart will eat bill o'reilly's liver, with some fava beans. >> reporter: while the rules aren't exactly clear. >> what is the protocol for two people about to debate? is it like a wedding thing? i'm not supposed to see you now? >> none of that. >> reporter: it's expected there will be an hour of debate with 30 minutes of audience questions. the debate prep has already begun.

>> i wanted to work on speed. i chased the chicken around the studio. >> reporter: perhaps with this debate, the political punches won't be as carefully calculated as the presidential ones. the moderator will be former fox anchor, edie hill. >> it will be nice to remember, at least for stewart, and his 18 writers. >> reporter: for "good morning america," reena ninan, abc news, new york. >> that's a pretty good punch. >> as my stepson would say, do you want some ice for that burn? that was cold. >> bill o'reilly, by the way, will be granting his first post-debate interview tomorrow morning with george stephanopoulos on "this week." coming up here on "gma" on this saturday morning, the teacher/student sex scandal has shocked a community in new jersey. it wasn't just that three separate teachers were involved. but also, that the cover-up allegedly goes straight to the top. plus, a heartwarming tale of the bond between a dog and its owner. we'll tell you how this husky tracked down the man who was miles from home. they're both in our studio this morning with an amazing story to tell you. you don't need to be an animal lover for this one.

>> the dog's name is zander. he's already drooling on the couch. we'll get to him in just a minute. and come on down. it's one of the longest-running game shows. and a major change coming to "the price is right." that's coming up on "gma" this saturday morning. keep it here.

chili's $20 dinner for two has a bold new favorite -- steak. first, share an appetizer, then choose two entrees, like our 100% usda choice sirloin, available for a limited time on chili's $20 dinner for two. when the doctor told me that i could smoke for the first week... i'm like...yeah, ok... little did i know that one week later i wasn't smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems,

which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. it helps to have people around you... they say, you're much bigger than this. and you are. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

we have a fifth anchor on "gma." his name is zander. and zander has an amazing story of how he tracked down his owner who was in the hospital. also coming up, a big change for a big game show. >> "the price is right," just as famous for its models as it is for its prizes. we'll tell you about the newest model debuting on the show. it may surprise you. coming up. as zander licks everybody. >> zander, can you say, we'll be right back? we'll be right back.

i moved to new york to work in fashion. so i had to look the part. t.j.maxx is such a great place cause i know when i go in there, i'm gonna score. they've got such great deals on all my favorite brands. fashion direct from designers. savings direct to you. t.j.maxx.

♪ i was wondering what dog song we were going to pick for this story. loyalty is one of the reasons we love dogs. but what this dog, who's named zander, tried to do was truly extraordinary. when zander's owner went to the hospital, zander somehow tracked him down. zander and his owner are on the set with us this morning. i was just playing with zander. turns out, white shedding dogs and black suits, don't go so well. >> he's shedding a lot. but everybody here in the studio is falling in love with zander this morning. good morning, america. i'm bianna golodryga, along with dan harris on this saturday, october 6th. also this morning, the iconic game show, "the price is right," is doing something it's never done before. the show has been a favorite for decades. known as much for the models as for the amazing prizes. so, you may be surprised when you see the show's newest face. that's coming up. >> i remember being sick as a

kid, on sick days. always got to watch "the price is right." we'll tell you about that, coming up. we're going to start with a teacher/student sex scandal, one that allegedly goes all the way to the top. three teachers charged with having relationships with students. and now, charges of a high-level cover-up. abc's mark greenblatt is on the story this morning. good morning, sir. >> reporter: good morning, dan. students and parents at most high schools are busy gearing up for fall exams. but in south jersey, they're talking about an exploding sex scandal involving teachers and students, even the school's principal, arrested now for covering it all up. rumors of sex between teachers and students at triton high school first surfaced this summer. now, not one, but three teachers of the south jersey school are caught up in what's become an all-out scandal. >> i think it's terrible. i mean, they shouldn't even look at students in that way. and it's sad because now, it's like, are they looking at my daughter that way? >> reporter: prosecutors alleged the repeated sexual activity began last fall and didn't stop until this june, with sexually explicit text messages sometimes sent during the middle of class.

one teacher grew so comfortable, he's alleged to have taken a trip to a new jersey beach with a student. >> it's obvious there existed a culture at triton high school, where teachers thought they would get away with improper relationships. >> reporter: 28-year-old gym teacher nick martinelli's alleged victim was 18 years old. he's charged with official misconduct. jeffery longandro and dan michielli face additional charges of criminal sexual conduct and child endangerment. their alleged victims, 17. >> i'm surprised because they're the teachers you would never expect that from. >> it's a shame that these adults take advantage of the children like this. >> reporter: but the scandal is now much bigger, turning into an alleged massive cover-up, with principal catherine depaul and assistant principal jernee kollock, arrested for misconduct. accused of watering down a statement from one witness, not reporting claims of sex to their bosses, and even telling a school employee to delete text messages with a

student. all five employees have been suspended, with the school district superintendent saying, we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior of any kind. >> the system is broken. that's what it is. people are just continuing to covering and continually doing things they shouldn't do. and they know this is wrong. >> reporter: all of the teachers are in their late 20s or early 30s. two taught math class and one coached the girls' track team. dan and bianna, so far, no word from their attorney. >> mark, thank you. time for a check of the morning's other headlines. back to ron for that. >> we'll see zander later, huh? very cool dog. good morning, everyone. in the news, an amber alert issued in colorado for 10-year-old jessica ridgeway. the fbi has joined the search for jessica, who failed to show up to school yesterday. and gas prices are spiking in california again. now matching an all-time high. prices at the pump jumping another 13 cents this morning to a statewide average. an average of $4.61 a gallon, largely because of refinery

outages. and legendary writer and director mel brooks will be honored with the american film institute's life achievement award. the man behind such classics as "the producers" and "blazing saddles" will receive an award at a tribute next june. talk about taking the plunge, to celebrate her wedding today, a tennessee woman repelled down a 20-story building in her wedding dress, as you see there, as part of a fund-raiser for charity. >> ginger's next mission. >> ginger, we have another assignment for you there. >> did she do it because she was trying to spice up the marriage? >> charity. to raise money. it's time, now, for the weather. over to ginger zee, please. >> repelling, those things are easy. but the marriage thing, that's going to be tougher to get me to do. so, fall foliage. fall foliage is where we start. amazing how fast the fall colors come and then peak. and then, it's like it's winter all of a sudden.

enjoy it if you can this weekend. parts of colorado, northern plains, in the upper peninsula of michigan and way up in new england, at peak right now. the yellow is where it's all beginning to start. so, get out. enjoy it if you have the saturday and sunday drive in you. and it's amazing to see how cold that air changes. new york, 72 today. but a couple of rain showers. isolated there. look at the rain/snow mix in the u.p. parts of michigan, too. very important forecast for the chicago marathon. i covered this for years. a lot of times, it's way too hot. tomorrow, not the case at all. look at the start temp, 39. afternoon, 52. by the time someone like me would end it, it would be only in the 50s. either way, it's good. >> this weather report brought to you by walgreens. that little touch of

fall/winter. >> checking in my e-mail now. a lot of marriage proposals coming in for ginger zee. >> my answer is yes. >> find ginger a husband. >> thanks, ginger. coming up here on the broadcast, he is a husky named zander. i'm going to arrange to have him shed on ron this time. his owners believed he displayed extraordinary royalty. how did he track down one of the owners in the hospital? zander's here after the break. >> such a smart dog. and tyra banks may be one of the most famous models in the world. but even supermodels have their imperfections. and she's not shy about showing you hers. u love walgreens for. earn points for prescriptions and everyday items and redeem them right at checkout whenever something catches your eye. sign up in-store or online; it's instant points and endless rewards.

at the corner of happy and healthy. [ female announcer ] some prescriptions are not eligible to earn points. restrictions apply. see website for details. i need all the help i can get. i tell them, "come straight to the table." i say, "it's breakfast time, not playtime." "there's fruit, milk and i'm putting a little nutella on your whole-wheat toast." funny, that last part gets through. [ male announcer ] serving nutella is quick and easy. its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa. okay, plates in the sink, grab your backpacks -- [ male announcer ] nutella. breakfast never tasted this good. boring. boring. [ jack ] after lauren broke up with me, i went to the citi private pass page and decided to be...not boring. that's how i met marilyn... giada... really good. yes! [ jack ] ...and alicia. ♪ this girl is on fire [ male announcer ] use any citi card to get the benefits of private pass. more concerts, more events, more experiences.

[ jack ] hey, who's boring now? [ male announcer ] get more access with the citi card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ]

♪ if you ever doubted the special connection between man and dog, this next story may change your mind. a dog, zander, escaped from his home and turned up two miles away. >> he was found right outside of the hospital where his owner was recovering. zander is poised, right off camera. we're going to bring him in just a second. but first, here's the backstory. this is a story about the deep friendship between man and beast. >> he's got a great face for tv. >> reporter: this 7-year-old husky named zander was so heartbroken when his owner went to the hospital, he slipped out

of the back door in his home in long island, new york, and ran more than two miles to find him. >> i don't know how he got there. >> reporter: john dolan was laying in his hospital bed when he got a call from an employee with an urgent message. >> i have to get to work. i have your dog. you have to come and get him. >> reporter: how could a dog have known his owner was in the hospital two miles away? animal experts say it's a mystery. but some dogs can do this. >> this dog can get out of that yard and start wandering around and wind up in front of that hospital, it's like one in a million. >> reporter: nobody knows how zander made it there because he had never been to the hospital before. he would have to pass by a stream, cross a busy highway and navigate through neighborhood streets to get there. he was a starving shelter dogged rescued by the dolans five years ago. john and zander took daily walks around the neighborhood. so, when john was hospitalized, zander was distraught. >> of course.

we're buddies. he came to see me. >> reporter: his 70-pound husky is like a son to him. and zander's devotion truly shows why dogs are called man's best friend. >> i think i have a new best friend this morning. this dog is so cute. john and priscilla dolan, joining us live the studio. zander's crying a little bit. i'm not sure why. he's excited. is there any doubt in your mind that he was coming to see you? or is there any chance this was a coincidence? >> well, i mean, he was on his way to the hospital. i don't know. was he on his way to hollywood? i don't know. >> after this, yes. priscilla, what do you think? >> i think he was looking for john. he was very sad when john was gone. very sad and mopey. i think he missed him. >> what was your initial reaction when you found out that he came to the hospital? >> we couldn't believe it. i was sleeping. and i got a call. i was like, oh, my god. what's he doing there?

>> so, you're sitting in the hospital bed. and some guy calls you from outside the hospital and says, i found your dog. where are you? >> he says, come and get the dog. i have to go to work. i have to be to work in five minutes. called me at ten to 6:00. i'm like, i'm in the hospital. i have to call my wife and get back to you. so, i got ahold of priscilla. and the gentleman said, i told him the story. i guess they realized before we did that it was a big deal because i was in the hospital and he came to see me there. >> quite a big deal. two miles away. >> i didn't really think of it. he's my boy. he's been glued to me ever since. i got to tell you. >> he's not going to leave your side anymore. and, priscilla, what do you think happened? do you think it's because he's so used to this routine that he shared with your husband every day that he didn't know what to do with himself? >> yeah, maybe. he sleeps right next to john. and john walks him a lot. i think so. >> what's next for him? is he getting an agent? >> we established he's going to hollywood next. john and priscilla, thanks for coming in.

zander, thank you. you look great this morning. good dog. >> a great morning. we'll be right back with "pop news." right, zander? can you tell the audience? >> thank you. now from the maker of splenda sweeteners, discover nectresse. the only 100% natural, no-calorie sweetener made from the goodness of fruit. the rich, sweet taste of sugar. nothing artificial. ♪ it's all that sweet ever needs to be. new nectresse. sweetness naturally.

with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta.

taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer.

all right. it's time for "pop news." our entertainment reporter and host of "on the red carpet," rachel smith, is here in new york this morning. >> pop time. here we go. we're getting our first look at nicole kidman as grace kelly. she truly looks like royalty. kidman is stunning as the actress-turned-princess, in the upcoming movie "grace of monaco." it's certainly a far cry from kidman's role in "paperboy," in theaters this weekend. "grace of monaco" won't be out until 2014.

quite the transformation, right? >> princess gone bad. >> yeah. >> i -- this sounds like a good movie treatment. bad princess. >> coming soon near you. speaking of beautiful ladies, supermodel tyra banks is perfection in my book, right? i mean, wouldn't you agree? but not according to tyra herself. she recently took to twitter with these pictures with the caption, perfect is boring. and writing, check the juicy muffin top. come on now, tyra. in her career, runway model to media mogul, she has used her perform to embrace her imperfections and wants to tell young ladies to celebrate theirs. if that's a juicy muffin top, i'll take a juicy muffin top anytime. >> any time we get muffin top in

"pop news," we will take it. >> right? bear with me, guys. come on down, rob wilson. yeah. it wasn't very good. i needed to be more into it. "the price is right" audience voted the boston native the winner of the long-running game show's first male model search. he beat out hundreds of hunks in the showcase showdown. he has talents like writing and singing original lyrics to the show's theme song. of course, a costume change. rob says he's looking forward to helping contestants to play the famous plinko game. one little bit of advice. make the most of this experience, because this gig only lasts a week. >> is he going to be wearing a shirt? >> ginger. >> we should have been at the casting call, right? >> we consider her anti-marriage. all right, guys. check this out. we all know the slogan what happens in vegas stays in vegas. now, you can leave your hangover behind, too. the mgm grand is redesigning

rooms being called the perfect cure for your hangover. they will help you sleep better and rejuvenate your mind and body. some of the features include a special ventilation system, extra soundproofing, vitamin showers, and lighting to promote sleep and relaxation. the rooms will be ready later this month. >> show anchors need those. >> lighted showers? >> soundproof rooms. >> what ails you. >> apparently. we'll be right back with more "gma." keep it here. rachel, thank you.

and before we go, we want to wish congratulations to sam champion, who announced his engagement to long-time partner, rubem robierb. thank you for watching. look at them. >> good-looking couple. they are getting married new year's in miami. we are so happy for them. >> sam has been so happy. and now, we know why.

>> been in a good mood since they met. thanks for watching, everybody. we'll see you back here tomorrow morning. meanwhile, you can check us out on goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! >> terry: good morning, i'm terry mcsweeney. a 34-year-old man has died from rabies. he was bitten by a bat. he started getting sick vacationing in thailand. several officials say she was bitten in southern contra costa

county. rabies is almost always fatal. >> days before a protest at the supermarket chain are trying to calm fears of an immigration audit. homeland security launched an audit in over illegal workers. the company has switched to a new system to vary workers. they are trying to organize a boycott because the company refuses to sign a labor agreement. so much going on in the bay area this weekend. here is lisa argen. >> lisa: let's take a look. it's wuif from the marina, golden gate bridge and diffuse marine layer about 200 feet. plenty of sunshine and few high clouds around. we'll have a beautiful bay with mid 60s. it's chilly 55. 58 in mountain view and skies are clear from san jose to los gatos.

we will have a few mix jupd clouds, as well. there is a system offshore and the flow around that will spin off clouds from time to time. but still a beautiful day in oakland at 68. 72 in napa. 73, san jose. it's clear now. santa cruz later on, 69 degrees and it should be a nice evening at at&t park, 61 to start. upper 50s later on. >>